Dastardly Deeds
by Jem Kallop
Summary: Marik has a new plan to defeat the Pharaoh; through fake Skype accounts! Bakura goes along with it, of course, but how successful will they be? And will this really be the time that they finally get rid of Yugi and his troublesome gang once and for all? Co-written with FanGirl16 and rated T just to be safe. XD
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, another chaptered thiefshipping fic! This one is co-written by the wonderful FanGirl16 and myself, so I cannot claim all the credit. We shared it out very evenly. We have no idea how long it will be, but it was a lot of fun to write and I sincerely hope that you enjoy it as much as we did! Without further ado, here is our fic! - Jem**

Bakura lay sprawled out on his bed with his brows lowered and his eyes determinedly shut, deliberately blocking out all noises of the apartment he shared with Marik. The silly blonde had gone off somewhere to do God-knows-what, and so Bakura was enjoying this rare moment of silence, stretched out happily with his arms behind his head and the darkness behind his lids settling his tired brain. Living with Marik was a trial sometimes, but for some reason he couldn't stay away. One day soon he would come up with a diabolical plan to get to the Pharaoh, but for now, he was content enough to lie in the quiet and enjoy a few moments of peace. At least, until Marik came back.

Bakura had spent most of that morning in that position. It was hard to find the time to just sit back and relax whilst a raving, tanned teen was screeching about something irrelevant. He had tried so many times to be rid of that Egyptian and yet he was lying on his bed in the very apartment they shared. He couldn't understand why he had remained with Marik, probably that sexy body which he was always talking about. Ah well. He was free to not be captivated by it for the moment at least. He was free to enjoy the silence for a few more minutes as he knew that it wouldn't be long until Marik danced through the door.

As expected, the peace and quiet didn't last long. Bakura groaned and sank further into the bed as the tell-tale rustlings sounded by the front door, and sure enough it flew open in a matter of seconds, revealing the very Egyptian who seemed to have somehow taken over most of Bakura's life. Thinking he might manage at least a few more seconds of silence, Bakura rolled so that he was looking away from the door and placed a pillow firmly over his head. Perhaps Marik would take the hint. However, his hope was short-lived; Marik was a whirlwind at the best of times, but he was at his worst when he had just returned home.

The Egyptian pouted at the sight of Bakura's back. He hadn't expected the grumpy teen to be, well ... as grumpy as usual. Sure, Bakura had an attitude on him but Marik had hoped that today would be different. He had good news after all. Bakura didn't turn as Marik skipped further into the room. Instead he pulled the pillow even more over his face so that Marik couldn't see how utterly livid he was at being disturbed.

Marik paused, hand outstretched mere inches from Bakura's back as he nibbled his lip. He knew that Bakura did _not _appreciate being disturbed when he was sleeping, as he apparently was now, but, well, Marik had good news! It was only fair his partner got to hear it first, especially as Marik needed his help if this was going to succeed. Bakura would just have to wake up and deal with it; it was the middle of the day anyway, who slept at this time?! However, it was with trepidation that Marik swallowed, moistening his mouth in order to speak as he placed his hand lightly on his pale partner's shoulder. "Um ... Bakura?"

A muffled groan was all he got in response. Marik blinked and moved his hand away with such speed that it shocked himself to move so fast. The pink lips became a pout once more and Marik put his hands on his hips, sternly. He wasn't having this. Whether Bakura wanted to sleep or not this plan required both their attention. With that thought replaying in his tiny head, Marik reached for Bakura's shoulder again and gripped too tightly onto the flesh. Bakura growled though it was still slightly muffled, thanks to the pillow.

With a sharp movement, Bakura pulled his shoulder out of Marik's grip and rolled onto his front, pillow firmly placed over the back of his head and blocking his wild white hair from view. Marik's frown deepened at this; he wouldn't be ignored for long. "Bakura?"

"Piss off, Marik," Was all Bakura mumbled in reply. "I'm sleeping."

"Well you can't!" Marik's voice became more insistent as his hand reached forwards again, this time aiming for the pillow, quickly grabbing it out of Bakura's reach. Bakura's look became dangerous. With a ferocious growl he sat up and turned to face his ridiculous Egyptian companion, one hand shooting out to grasp Marik by the throat. "Whatever bloody plan you have come up with this time, I am not interested, and it will not work. Now give me back that pillow before I gut you."

Marik's eyes narrowed. He was used to the many threats Bakura would shout at him. This threat was a common one and it was always resolved in the same way. Marik jumped backwards out of the way and tossed the pillow across the room in quite the dramatic way. Bakura's eyes remained slits as he clenched his teeth and rose from the bed to retrieve the pillow. He stopped short when he heard a quiet sniff behind him. The pale boy rolled his eyes, how predictable. Marik was trying the sympathy tactic as usual. He would sniff and whimper like a child until Bakura finally paid him attention.

However when Bakura turned to give the boy a piece of his mind and tell him to quit being so bloody pathetic, he found himself suddenly staring up at the ceiling. He blinked in confusion before realizing that effeminate fool had glomped him forcing them both to the floor.

Bakura let out a huff of surprised air as his back met the threadbare carpet, arms instinctively flying up to cover his face. At the sudden, surprising weight on top of him, he moved his hands down only to meet a certain blonde head and a violet gaze that effectively pinned him in place. Marik's eyes were narrowed to slits as he settled on top of Bakura, laying tanned hands on his chest and meeting his brown gaze with determination. "Now, you listen to me, fool, and don't you even think of trying to escape because I've got my legs wrapped around your waist. You aren't going _anywhere_!"

Bakura struggled to keep a flush from rising to his accursedly pale cheeks as he realised the truth of Marik's words; the Egyptian was effectively straddling him in the centre of his bedroom. This was certainly a new situation, but not one Bakura was entirely averse to; he struggled to keep his mind out of the gutter as he met Marik's determined gaze with his own narrowed brown eyes.

Marik didn't look away from the dangerous gaze he received. He was not about to allow Bakura to get his way or escape from the situation. He had the boy trapped and was determined to show Bakura who was in charge. There was no way Bakura could have his way all the time. Marik was in charge in this relationship. "I have thought up a new dastardly plan which is guaranteed to work," Marik said proudly with a cunning smile plastered on his face. Bakura merely raised an eyebrow and was slightly relieved when the tanned palms were removed from his chest. Although he was a bit disappointed at the loss of warmth there. Marik didn't seem to notice Bakura's reaction and continued, his arms crossed firmly over his chest.

"We are going to truly defeat the Pharaoh this time," Marik announced proudly from his position perched on Bakura's waist. "There is no way he can escape from our next web of evil! My plan is truly legendary, Bakura."

Said pale teen merely rolled his eyes; he had heard this speech far too many times before to have any hopes of taking it seriously now. Still, it was probably best to just let Marik ramble on for a little while; after all, he rather liked the weight of Marik on his stomach. "Alright, I'll humour you." Bakura strove to keep his tone light, although he was only halfway successful. "What has your puny little brain cooked up this time, mortal?"

Marik ignored the insult in favour of leaning down to grip Bakura's shoulders, their faces inches apart. A wide grin was decorating Marik's face, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he began to explain; it was rather difficult for Bakura to remain focused on his words. "We can trap him..." Marik paused for dramatic effect, causing another eye-roll in his pale companion, before continuing, "Through the many evil powers of social networking sites!"

"What?" Bakura asked in slight confusion. This was definitely a new one.

"Have you heard of skype?" Marik continued, speaking as if Bakura hadn't opened his mouth. Bakura still looked confused but answered the question.

"Isn't that the annoying app you have installed on your laptop?"

"It isn't annoying" Marik cried in utter mortification. Bakura, again rolled his eyes. He was sure if he continued doing such an action then they would possibly fall out of his skull.

"What are you getting at, Marik?" The Egyptian stared back at the boy beneath him, his smile ever widening.

"As I told you earlier, fluffy" Marik started. He pulled his face away from Bakura for a moment, his warm breath dancing over Bakura's skin as he did so. "We are going to defeat the pharaoh, once and for all"

Bakura merely stared, wondering exactly which ridiculous thing he should rip to shreds first. Use skype to attack the Pharaoh? Now, Marik had had some ridiculous plans in the past, but this just about took the biscuit. Marik was still staring at him, expression caught somewhere between pride, irritation and expectation as he waited for his partner's response; eventually, Bakura decided to take advantage of this chance to tease his less-than-intelligent partner. "Skype. You really think that skype is the way to finally be rid of the Pharaoh."

Marik looked confused for a moment - of all the things Bakura could have said, this wasn't one that he had imagined. Marik figured that Bakura would either jump for joy at his brilliance, (ok, maybe joy was a bit of an overstatement, but Bakura could at least crack a smile!) or he would ridicule Marik until the Egyptian flounced out of the room, even more pissed off than when he had entered. Needless to say, Bakura's calm questioning was new, and Marik wasn't entirely sure how to take it. He brushed blonde strands of hair out of his eyes, temporarily releasing Bakura's shoulder as he looked back at him. "Yes, skype. We can create a fake account and befriend Yugi until he tells us all his secrets, and then we can use them against him to betray his trust! It's perfect, isn't it? He will never escape us now!" Marik threw back his head in his best impression of an evil laugh, although he knew it could never quite match Bakura's chilling tones.

Bakura just stared up at the rather disturbing scene with a bored expression. After Marik's little rant, Bakura had reconsidered it as ingenious. The plan could actually work as scarring Yugi Motou and using Skype as a way of traumatizing the boy. Getting to the Pharaoh, on the other hand was trickier as it would be impossible to tell who was typing. Nevertheless, now that he thought about it, this plan could be fun. He may not be able to do any physical damage but it would be great to cause some emotional pain instead.

The pale boy waited for Marik's embarrassing laughter to cease before he spoke again. "How exactly do you plan on doing this?"

Marik blinked and sat up straighter on Bakura's waist, succeeding in making a startled gasp escape the boy's lips. Marik didn't notice. "Huh? I told you, we will create a fake account and-" the boy's explanation was interrupted by Bakura's strained voice.

"I mean, what do you need me for? You have everything planned out so why can't you deal with this?" Marik pressed his lips together in a firm line.

"We're partners, aren't we?"

Bakura swallowed, shifting against the floor and manipulating Marik into a slightly more comfortable position, releasing a small sigh of relief. "Well, yes, partners we are, but it sounds like you've got this covered."

Marik nibbled his lip, gazing down at Bakura with a slightly worried gleam to his violet eyes. "W-well, you, um ... you're better at lying than I am. And, with two of us, it will be so much easier to confuse him!"

Bakura heaved another sigh, pushing himself onto his elbows and dislodging Marik, who landed with a disgruntled noise on the floor. Bakura smirked, pulling his knees up to his chest and crossing his arms on top of them. "For starters, Marik, we are not merely trying to 'confuse' Yugi here; we need to trick him. For that, we will first need to befriend him."

Marik mused over that for a moment before a wide smile spread across his lips. "You see? This is exactly why I need you! How are we going to confuse him, Fluffy?"

"Again, it is trick" Bakura corrected matter of factly. "And stop calling me fluffy."

"But you are fluffy!" Marik exclaimed as he crawled over to the disgruntled boy. As much as Bakura liked attention he wasn't in the mood to argue over nicknames. Marik sat beside him with a smile and began to tenderly pat the small 'batwings' on top of Bakura's head. The other merely shook the hand away with a small hiss.

"As I was saying" Bakura began. Marik hmphed as he crossed his arms. "The best way to do this is to get on Yugi's good side by getting close to him. The easiest way to accomplish this is to create an account pretending to be one of his friends. Wheeler seems to be the perfect bait for this" Bakura's features twisted into an unnaturally wide smile which sent a few chills up Marik's spine. He had to say, though he was certainly going to enjoy this more than he should.

Marik mulled that over for a while, one finger placed on his chin and his head tilted attractively to one side; Bakura deliberately looked away, once more forced to drag his mind up out of the gutter. Marik was grinning before long, his mindless drivel filling Bakura's mind with blissful distraction once more. "You know, for you, that's actually a pretty good idea! You'll have to do that though, you're better at lying than I am. I shall create a fake account to help confuse him once and for all!"

Bakura closed his eyes and allowed his head to drop into his hands. "Marik, for the last bloody time, we are _not_ doing this to confuse Yugi! We are going to trick him. However," The pale spirit held up a hand to forestall Marik's inevitable arguments, "I will indeed sign on as Wheeler, but we will have to hack his skype account to make sure he can't contact Yugi himself. Then, you shall pretend to be a fangirl of Yugi's - I'm sure you can manage that much - in order to help me break him. Between us, I'm sure we will fool him into telling us all his secrets."

Marik's eyes widened immediately, and he grasped Bakura's shoulders, leaning in urgently. "What? Did you just say I would have to pretend to be a fanGIRL? I'm a manly man, Bakura!"

"Oh, please. We've had this conversation many times and you always end up losing" Bakura smirked as Marik's cheeks dusted pink. Whether it was anger or embarrassment, he didn't know. It was amusing to watch nonetheless.

"I am a _man_, Bakura. If someone should play the girl, it is you!" Marik cried despairingly. Bakura merely chuckled.

"And what makes you think I'm suitable for playing that role? I am not effeminate nor do I break down at an insult that it makes my eyeliner run" Marik gasped and narrowed his eyes at the other boy.

"This is _kohl_, Bakura. It is a special ink to protect my eyes from the sun"

"And yet you still wear it indoors where there is no sunlight to be found. Face it, Marik. You are a woman" Marik growled and rose from the floor with a huff. He was not a woman and he would definitely not sink so low as to be a fangirl! The Egyptian reached down and grabbed the discarded pillow before throwing it into Bakura's face. The other just snickered.

"If we are going to do this then hurry up and hack into Wheeler's account. I hate being kept waiting"

"Of course, princess"

Marik sniffed, turning away from his irritating companion and instead glaring at the opposite wall. His shoulders were tensed, brows furrowed as he crossed his arms, doing his best to keep a tight hold of his short temper. There was a small rustle of movement from behind him, and Bakura's voice rasped through the still silent air. "Marik. Don't get pissy now."

"I'm not pissy!" Marik huffed, whirling round to face him with hands painting crazy patterns in the air. "I just find it amazing how you can still be so wrong about my manliness!"

Bakura blew a puff of air through his pursed lips. "Everything I say is true, Marik. Now, get out of the way - my laptop is behind you." Marik grudgingly stepped aside, allowing Bakura to head over to his bed and dig the laptop out from underneath it. He flipped it open and turned it on, waiting impatiently. Marik was by his side in an instant. "We're not staying in here, fluffy! Your room stinks. Let's go to the living room."

Bakura rolled his eyes but obediently picked up the laptop, carrying it out into the hallway and settling down on the sofa, Marik crashing next to him, bobbing up and down with excitement. "This is going to be so great, Bakura! It's our most diabolical plan yet!"

It didn't take long for the laptop to buzz to life. It took Bakura even less time to open Skype and type in Joey's email address into the bar. Marik watched Bakura curiously with questioning eyes.

"How do you even know his email address, Kura?" Marik wondered. Bakura ignored the other nickname Marik had decidedly given him and finished typing the address before hitting tab.

"Ryou sits next to him on the computers. Because I'm stuck in the ring all day I like to spy on the idiots around me. Wheeler being one of them always signs into various accounts. I just memorized his email"

"Why?"

"Boredom" Bakura answered quickly. The two sat in silence for a while staring at the screen. Marik raised an eyebrow at the small bar asking for a password. Bakura was thinking the same thing. Neither knew the password to get into the account. Marik's face fell.

"Well, it was worth a try". Before Marik could blink, Bakura had moved his pale fingers against various keys spelling out a word before pressing enter. The blue screen flashed a few times before three white circles appeared allowing the two to know that the account was loading. Marik stared oblivious to the word that had been typed. Bakura's mouth twitched before he bent forward with a maniacal laugh. His cackles echoed around the room leaving an ominous noise behind.

"What the frig is so funny?" Marik exclaimed.

"T-that pass..word" Bakura gasped, his laughter calming somewhat. "Hi-his password was 'Kaiba!'"

Marik stared in disbelief at the still-cackling Bakura, a smile beginning to tug at his own lips. "You serious, 'Kura?"

"Of course I'm bloody serious," Bakura choked out, straightening up slightly as the skype home screen loaded. "God, that idiot. I did have my suspicions, though."

Marik smirked, turning back to the home screen. "I guess it is pretty funny. I mean, they're not even friends! A secret friendship is pretty hilarious, right Bakura?"

_That_ sobered Bakura up straight away. He heaved a sigh, despairingly placing two fingers to his temples and rubbing them in a circular motion. "Marik, you do realise that Wheeler and Kaiba are far more than just 'friends', right?"

"Don't be silly," Marik berated with a quick shake of his head, sidling up the sofa to lean over Bakura, staring intently at the laptop screen. "What else could they possibly be?"

Bakura closed his eyes before snapping them open, a smirk suddenly decorating his features. He leaned very close to Marik, allowing his breath to slide across Marik's tan cheeks. "Well, Marik, why don't you use your imagination? I'm sure you can work out exactly what their _relationship_ might be."

Marik wrinkled his nose, leaning away from Bakura. "Fluffy, just tell me what you mean. Stop playing with me."

Bakura snorted, allowing one finger to trail down Marik's bare arm. "Think about it. Two guys, constantly moping after each other in class, and then Wheeler's password is Kaiba's name...what do you _think_ I'm talking about? I'd never have pinned Wheeler as gay though. I must be losing my touch."

Marik's eyes widened, then narrowed, then widened again as he suddenly jumped away from Bakura, crawling to the other side of the sofa and screwing his face up. "Eurgh! 'Kura, why'd you have to go and say something like that? They wouldn't actually do stuff like that with each other, would they?"

"What does your imagination tell you?" Bakura asked with a smirk. Marik's face was completely horrified and the hilariousness of that expression made Bakura crack up once again.

"I don't want to think about this!" Marik cried over the top of Bakura's cackles. "Can we just hurry up and send him a message?" Bakura managed to calm himself enough to talk properly.

"Oh no. I'm taking as much time as I want. I'm not rushing this" Bakura had an amused grin adorning his face as he pulled up the contacts list and scrolled down until he spotted Yugi's name. The profile picture sat at the top left of the screen depicting the small boy grasping the Millennium puzzle lovingly. Bakura couldn't help but grimace at the innocence of it. The pale boy scanned over the keypad before typing a simple message to the young, idiotic child.

'Hey Yug. I don' no if u heard that a new friend has joined the group. He is a bit shy and only likes talkin' over the internet so I told him he could add you as a friend on Skype'.

Now that the message was typed and Bakura had pressed the enter button all that was left to do was to create the fake account for the next stage of the plan.

Marik breathed out, hiding his discomfort through his usual rambling, as Bakura had grown accustomed to. "Well done Bakura, that is certainly a start! Now, go and fetch my laptop so that I may create a fake account, it's about time we started traumatising Yugi!"

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Get your own buggering laptop. I'm waiting for Yugi's response."

Marik lowered his brows, snatching Bakura's laptop and glaring at his pale counterpart. "Get my laptop! I'll watch Yugi. This is my genius idea, anyway!"

Bakura stared at him coldly for a long moment before finally conceding, eventually admitting that it would be faster just to get the damn laptop; Marik always was far more stubborn than he, anyway. He returned soon enough, collapsing once more into the sofa and passing Marik his laptop whilst simultaneously reclaiming his own. Marik smiled brightly at him and something fluttered in his chest, making a scowl decorate Bakura's face. Marik grinned happily as he turned his computer on and loaded skype. "Yugi replied, by the way."

"Oh really?" Bakura lifted a brow, turning to his own (well, Wheeler's) account; sure enough, there was a sickeningly innocent reply from the insufferable midget. 'Oh, sure thing, Joey! You know I always love meeting new people.' Bakura's scowl only increased at that. "Urgh. How bloody painful."

"I know, right?" Marik laughed, quickly making a new account of his own. "Them and their friggin' friendships. Still, tricking them with you is going to be so much fun, Bakura!"

A grunt was the only response he got as Marik stumbled over a username, tapping his chin. "Hm...what name?"

"Does it bloody matter, Marik? Just get on with it!"

"Alright, chill out Bakura!" Marik rolled his eyes, typing in a quick name.

Bakura leaned over his shoulder, one brow raised, tone sardonic. "Kiram?"

"It's Marik backwards," the Egyptian sniffed. "Ingenious, right?"

"It'll do, I suppose," Bakura scoffed. "Now just send a friend request, quickly." Marik complied, trying not to show his hurt at Bakura's dismissive tone, and they both watched the screen hesitantly, waiting to see if Yugi would reply.

**That's your lot for now. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! - Jem (and FanGirl16, of course!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here we are with another update! Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows, and we hope you enjoy this chapter! - Jem and FanGirl16 XD**

Marik leaned close to his laptop screen, bouncing up and down with impatience. "Why hasn't Yugi added me already?"

The ancient spirit sighed loudly, rubbing his temples slowly as he leaned over to look at Marik's screen. "I don't know, Marik. Maybe because he doesn't know who you are?"

Marik frowned, turning to look at him before his gaze fell on his pale partner's laptop. The screen was still open on the Skype contacts. Beside the small photo of Yugi was a bright orange flash indicating a message. "Oh, Kura, you've got a message!" Marik exclaimed in excitement as he pointed at the screen "I mean, Wheeler's got a message, but you are Wheeler now, right? Haha, JOEY!"

Bakura grimaced at the sudden ringing in his ears as he turned to his laptop; indeed, his Skype was flashing orange:

**Yugi Moto: Hey, Joey? What was the person's name I was supposed to add?**

Bakura growled, but Marik frowned, reading over his shoulder; it wasn't fair that Bakura got to have fun whilst he was still stuck waiting for the stupid midget to accept his friend request! Bakura caught his disgruntled stare and rolled his eyes. "Marik, what is wrong with you now?"

"It isn't fair!" Marik sniffed, sending Bakura a glare. "Yugi is meant to be messaging me! This was _my_ brilliant plan, anyway!"

Bakura merely sighed, "Stop worrying about it, Marik. He clearly hasn't got your message yet." He typed out a quick message, sending it back to Yugi.

**Oh, hey Yug. His name's Kiram I think, something Egyptian like that anyway.**

Marik, reading over his shoulder, cackled. "You know, you're pretty good at pretending to be an idiot! Maybe because you are an idiot in real life, too."

"Marik, I swear to God..." Bakura glared at him. "Get to your laptop, and make sure Yugi adds you!" His Skype screen blinked once more and Bakura turned to it with a feral snarl, glaring at the window and imagining stabbing the stupid friendship freak who was messaging him.

**Yugi Moto: Okay, thanks. I'll wait to see if he sends me a request. How are you?**

Damn it! Now Bakura would have to reply. Pretending to actually _like_ that spiky-haired midget was harder than he thought; that was, until he imagined Yugi's face if he ever realized that he was in fact chatting happily away to his arch-nemesis. That allowed a wide smirk to cover Bakura's face as he typed a quick message back.

**I'm good thanks! Been practising cards all day. I'm going ta beat you next time!**

Yugi was quick to respond.

**I'm sure you will. I can see how much improvement you've been making lately. You almost had me the last time we dueled.**

Marik was still leaning over Bakura's shoulder enjoying the entertainment before him. He had to admit that even though he hadn't started talking to Yugi yet, watching Bakura's reactions and irritated expressions were quite hilarious. "Ha, as if that Wheeler idiot could ever actually win!"

"He beat you, didn't he?" Bakura responded with a smirk.

"Hey!" Marik pouted, moving away from his partner slightly with arms crossed defensively. "At least I actually fought him! You're just a jerk, Bakura, you know that? And I'm bored!"

"Whatever." Bakura ignored his stupid blond companion, turning instead to his computer and typing out a quick reply to Yugi.

**Yea, you bet I did! Just you wait Yug, I'm coming for ya! Has Kiram added you yet?**

Pretending to be Wheeler was proving to be more of a doddle than he had ever hoped for; the Yank was such an idiot that it was almost fun. It was most _definitely_ fun to imagine Yugi happily typing away. It was such a perfect façade, the Pharaoh none the wiser that Bakura was actually the one behind this ingenious scheme, the sole mastermind behind this plan...

"Kura! Yugi's replied! Bakura, you have to answer now, before he gets suspicious! Hey, Bakura, why hasn't he added me yet? I want to join in the fun!"

Well, almost. Unfortunately, Bakura wasn't alone, more's the bloody pity; Marik was as excitable as ever, jumping up and down on the sofa as he eagerly stared at Bakura's blinking chat screen. The boy couldn't seem to keep still for less than five seconds. Why had he ever decided to work with this imbecile? Bakura tried closing his eyes to block out the moving shape of his companion but even that didn't seem to stop the consistent blathering. So the spirit sighed in annoyance and turned to his laptop screen to find that sure enough, Yugi had replied:

**Yugi Moto: Hehe. Oh, he just added me. Can you hold on for a second while I talk to him?**

Bakura sighed, typing an inane response: **Sure! I'm gonna go practice more duels. I will get you next time!**

**Yugi Moto: Good luck, Joey. Lol.**

Ah, well. At least Marik would be preoccupied now, and Bakura had more fun just watching him anyway. Bakura turned his eyes away from the chat and watched as Marik grinned, bounding over to his laptop. "He added me! He added me, Kura!"

"Congratulations, Marik." Bakura allowed sarcasm to drip from his tone, knowing full well that the silly blond would never pick up on it. "Now you can actually get on with the plan."

Marik ignored him, instead staring at his laptop screen with excitement glistening in his bright eyes. The flashing orange made itself known on the chat screen making a grin form on Marik's face. The cursor on the Egyptian's laptop hovered over the orange bar for a moment before it clicked with a happy sounding pop. Sure enough, there was a message:

**Yugi Moto: Hello Kiram. Joey told me about you - you're very welcome to Domino!**

Marik's grin widened as he typed back a quick reply.

**Kiram: Hi Yugi. I'm sorry if the request I sent was so sudden. I'm just not too good at making friends so it was a great help that Joey told me about you. Thank you very much.**

**Yugi Moto: Ah, that's quite alright! I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself properly, did I? My name is Yugi Moto, I'm just a regular school kid really. How do you know Joey? It's great to meet you!**

**Kiram: Hehe, neither did I. How rude of me. I am Kiram Blishtar. I am a normal person. Nice to meet you. I met Joey at the arcade a few days ago, we played some card games and ate some food before Joey started talking about you. He told me how friendly you are, he was right.**

"Blishtar?" Bakura's voice was mildly amused as he read over Marik's shoulder. "Could you not be at least a little more creative?"

"Shut up, Fluffy," Marik responded absentmindedly, focusing on his conversation. Yugi had already replied.

**Yugi Moto: Well, it's very nice to meet you, Kiram. Can I ask where you are from? Your name is very exotic. Oh, you play card games? I love Duel Monsters. We should meet up and play together some time.**

**Kiram: :) I'm from Egypt. It is a very far place where I used to live. Very dirty and haunted. I don't like to brag but I was the best at card games in Egypt. I won every game. That is a good idea, it would be nice to show off my fabulous skills.**

"Fabulous skills, my arse," Bakura scoffed, earning him a whack from Marik. Bakura rubbed his arm, very tempted to retaliate but knowing it would only lead to some ridiculous play fighting until he finally got bored of Marik's antics, or Marik got fed up and threw a hissy fit.

As Bakura turned his head slightly he noticed from the corner of his eye the chat bar flash orange. To his surprise, it was Yugi who popped up with another message. "Um, Marik? Yugi just messaged me. Well, Wheeler, anyway".

"Huh?" Marik turned to him with wide, violet eyes. "What did he say?"

They both looked at Bakura's screen with interest.

**Yugi Moto: You were right, Joey. He is from Egypt.**

Bakura typed a quick response, Marik peering intently over his shoulder. Neither blinked as they waited for the other's reply.

**Joey Wheeler: Oh, yeah? I thought so. His name isn't American anyway.**

**Yugi Moto: It is a very exotic name. It kind of reminds me of Marik Ishtar. Do you remember him?**

Both villains stared at the screen; Bakura's face mildly amused; Marik's expression dismayed. "Oh, no! How can he possibly know already? It's that damn Pharaoh, it has to be!"

"Calm down", Bakura growled, tilting the screen towards him more. "He doesn't know anything. You probably shouldn't have said you were from Egypt".

"Well what was I supposed to say? I AM from Egypt!" Bakura merely exhaled loudly, typing out a reply to Yugi.

**Oh yeah! That idiot. He was Egyptian too, wasn't he? Man, am I glad ta be rid of him!**

"Hey!" Marik glowered at his partner. He turned to Bakura with his hands on his hips though it looked rather odd because he was sitting down. "I am not an idiot!"

"Whatever, Marik. Go back to your own conversation". Bakura replied with finality.

With a frown, Marik obeyed reluctantly and turned back to his own laptop. Another message from Yugi blinked up at him.

**Yugi Moto: Heh, I'm sure you will be an interesting opponent. Yes, I know where Egypt is, it doesn't sound good that it was dirty and haunted. I know another person from Egypt: Marik Ishtar. Perhaps you know him?**

"Dammit!" Marik turned to Bakura, his violet eyes beseeching. "What do I do? Bakura, he's going to blow my cover!"

"Calm down". Bakura turned back to his laptop to find another message from Yugi:

**Yugi Moto: Yes he was. I'm a bit worried, though. He just seemed to disappear. He could be anywhere now. I asked Kiram if he knew Marik since they are both Egyptian and might have crossed paths here in Domino.**

Bakura sighed. "Don't reply for a minute, and let me deal with this wanker."

Marik merely watched as Bakura typed out another message, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. Bakura ignored him, concentrating on the new turn in the conversation. He was going to enjoy this.

**Ah, mate, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Marik's such an idiotic douchebag, if he was still in Domino I'm sure we would know about it by now. I doubt he has the mental capacity to keep quiet for long.**

"Kura!"

"Shut it, Marik. I'm sorting out_ your_ mess, and I will do it in whichever way I see fit."

**Yugi Moto: You're probably right but he had problems. Please don't speak so badly of him. He had a troubled past. I hope that Marik doesn't get too close to Kiram, though if they do eventually meet.**

Bakura read through the message carefully before turning to Marik. "Alright, I think you can reply to him now".

"But what do I say?" Marik looked panicked as he stared at Bakura. "He's going to know it's me!"

"Just pretend you don't know who he's talking about. Talk about Egypt or something, you're usually very good at talking rubbish". Bakura smirked wickedly at his blond companion.

Marik ignored him, as per usual, turning instead to his laptop and struggling over his message.

**Kiram: I sure will! I didn't mind it much. Sure, the place was dirty and the spirits couldn't shut up but I managed. I haven't heard of him but his name makes him sound like a totally cool guy.**

Whilst they waited for Yugi to respond, Bakura typed out another message as well, sending it to Yugi.

**You're too soft on him, Yug. In case you had forgotten, he took control of our minds! I'm amazed he could be that accomplished.**

Yugi replied to Marik first:

**Yugi Moto: Spirits? That sounds interesting, please, tell me more. Well I don't know about Marik; you might want to be careful around him. Joey says you should be careful around him.**

"Just what have you been saying to him, Bakura?" Marik sounded disgruntled. "I'm not that bad!"

Bakura smirked. "No. You're not. Which is why you are so bloody awful at being a villain."

"Asshole!" Marik sniffed before replying to Yugi.

**Kiram: Well, in the ancient past it was told that many people died and that their souls couldn't pass onto the afterlife. Those souls were attached to the villages around them and stayed there to guard the grounds. I don't know that much but I have a friend who knows a lot about weird things. Why is that? Marik sounds like an interesting guy, maybe he is misunderstood. What does Joey say about him?**

**Yugi Moto: Oh, gosh, that sounds difficult. Some spirits can be friendly though. You already have a friend in Domino? Maybe I know him. When did you arrive here? Well, um, Joey says that Marik was a horrible person who tried to betray us, but he is being a little harsh. Marik had a lot of problems. He is better now though.**

"You told him I have problems?!"

Bakura merely cackled. Marik snarled. "I am _so_ going to get you back for that one, Fluffy". He typed away furiously, eyes gleaming.

**Kiram: The spirits I met were horrible. Especially the one with a pale complexion and brown eyes. His name is Ryou Bakura, do you know him? I arrived a few weeks ago though I've only just been able to fit in properly. Really? What sort of problems?**

Bakura read his message back and face palmed. Loudly. "Marik! You bloody idiot, could you have been any more obvious?!"

"Huh?" The blond Egyptian looked back at him, frowning. "I was getting you back! You're always so mean to me, Bakura!"

"Yes, but now Yugi is going to know that you're talking about me!"

Sure enough, the reply quickly came, confirming Bakura's suspicions.

**Yugi Moto: A pale spirit with brown eyes? Are you sure? Yes, I know Ryou, he goes to my school. Will you be coming to school? Well, I'm not sure I should tell you. They were quite personal to Marik.**

Bakura cursed, loudly. "See what I mean? You're going to have to sort this out, Marik! Bloody idiot!" How could Marik have been so foolish? Sure, he had expected something like this to happen sooner or later, but he had hoped Marik would be smarter about this.

"Chill out!" Marik rolled his eyes, typing quickly. "It'll be fine. Relax!" He sent his response with a slightly nervous look at Bakura, who was sending him his most dangerous death glare.

**Kiram: Yep. He was quite the arrogant type. Such a jerk. Um, I'm not too good around people so Ryou said he would stay and tutor me. Hmm, well, I suppose he had reasons for doing what he did.**

"What?!" Bakura snarled, leaning right into Marik's face, too angry to even notice the slight blush that decorated the Egyptian's tanned skin. "How dare you call me a jerk?! Now you're just going to make him even more suspicious!"

"I gave a valid reason for us both not to show up in school!" Marik argued loudly. "You should be thanking me really; this way, you don't have to worry about letting Ryou out!"

"For God's sake, Marik", Bakura ground out, pinning the Egyptian in place in his fury. "There will be no point in this at all if Yugi suspects that I am involved! Now send him another message, before I skin you alive for ruining your only plan which has actually been worth anything!"

Marik sniffed, lifting his nose haughtily in the air before turning back to his laptop, where another message blinked up at him.

**Yugi Moto: Oh. I see. I think I might know that spirit. Marik did have reasons. What is it that he did, Kiram?**

"What's he on about now...?" One look at Bakura's still-livid face had Marik frantically pressing his fingers against the keyboard.

**Kiram: Really? Do you know many spirits, yourself? Huh? I don't know what you mean.**

**Yugi Moto: Only two. I'm pretty sure I know this pale spirit. He isn't very nice; I'd be careful of him if I were you. The other spirit I know is very helpful. I'm sorry, it just sounded for a moment like you knew what Marik did. Are you sure that you don't know him?**

**Kiram: I've only known bad ones. I'll make sure to stay away from that one, though. Heh, it is fine. I get mistaken a lot. I don't know this Marik person.**

Once the situation seemed mildly back under control, Bakura returned to his own conversation with the irritating midget. The clocks display in the chat window indicated Yugi had sent him a message a few minutes earlier:

**Yugi Moto: I have trouble deciding anything anymore, Joey. :( Kiram is socializing well, though. He has apparently made friends with Ryou. I just hope that the evil spirit in the ring doesn't cause them both harm. Kiram has mentioned being involved with spirits too which has me concerned.**

Well, better nip _that_ in the bud. Bakura sent him a quick message, still utilising Wheeler's ridiculous speech patterns.

**Oh, don't you worry about that spirit. I'm sure everything is under control. Hey, since Kiram is new, how's about we meet up with him? He plays duel monsters, you know.**

Yugi was quick to respond to that.

**I hope you're right. Ah, that's a great idea. All our friends should meet Kiram, I'm sure they would love to help him settle in. Since he likes duel monsters my grandfather's shop would be the perfect place. Thank you, Joey. I'll ask him now.**

Bakura responded with a smirk.

**That's great! Let me know what he says. **

Everything was going according to plan; now all Marik had to do was say yes to meeting up, and the stage would be set.

Marik grinned, turning to his laptop yet again. "This is a pretty good idea. So, we meet up, then surprise the frig out of the Pharaoh and make him shit his pants, right?"

"Trust me, Marik", Bakura all but purred, leaning close so that he could read the messages. "The Pharaoh will do much, much more than shit his pants, as you so eloquently put it. This will put an end to him for _good_"_. _

"Alright, just don't kill him," Marik ordered, sticking his nose in the air. "Your plans always fail, Fluffy."

"Shut up". They both fell silent as Marik received a message from Yugi.

**Yugi Moto: Well, I am sorry. You do seem like a nice person, Kiram. What brings you to Domino?**

**Kiram: I try to be. I had some trouble in Egypt and wanted to get away from my life. Domino seemed a good place to start.**

**Yugi Moto: Ah, that is a good idea. Domino is a really great place, I'm sure you will love it here! Everyone is really great, and remember to keep your friends close! We will always be here for you.**

Bakura's face blanched at that. "Bloody friendship speeches".

"Tell me about it", Marik giggled, replying nonetheless.

**Kiram: I've heard there are some great places here. Thank you, it is great to have friends.**

**Yugi Moto: Oh, yes, it's such a brilliant city. You should come and check out my grandfather's game shop, there are lots of great duel monsters cards here. We could even play a game, I could invite the others, it would be good for you to meet other people.**

**Kiram: I'd like that. That way I can show you all my skills and we can have a real battle. I'm not too good with crowds, though.**

**Yugi Moto: That sounds like great fun :) Ah, alright, well maybe we could just start with me and Joey. You could cope with that, right?**

**Kiram: Oh, yes. I know you both better than anyone else so it should be easy to go out with you both.**

**Yugi Moto: That sounds like a plan. When are you free? Could you come over this weekend? My grandfather will be in the shop, so he can talk you through some great cards. He's the expert really.**

**Kiram: This weekend is fine. Do you mind if Ryou comes too? I'm sure your grandfather will be surprised at the cards in my deck. I managed to collect some rare ones when I was in Egypt.**

**Yugi Moto: Great! Come over any time on Saturday, that would be brilliant. Ryou is welcome, just make sure he doesn't have his Ring. I would love to see your cards, and I'm sure grandfather will too. Just make sure he doesn't try and get you to trade them!**

"Dammit, he's still suspicious about Ryou", Bakura growled. "You have to tell him not to worry; no way am I leaving without my Ring".

Marik rolled his eyes, frustrated with his companion's obsession over that piece of gold, before replying.

**Kiram: What's wrong with wearing his ring? Ha, there is no way I am trading these cards. Where is this gameshop of yours?**

**Yugi Moto: Well, sometimes Ryou goes a little strange when he has his Ring. He doesn't like it anyway. My grandfather's shop is just off the square, right by the clock tower. I look forward to seeing you on Saturday!**

"Haha, a little strange! Understatement of the century!" Marik crowed. "You are _way _more than a little strange, Bakura".

"Good job too", Bakura sniffed. "Hurry up and reply, would you?"

Marik complied, typing quickly.

**Kiram: Wow. That's weird. He has never really told me much about it. I know where that is. I'll see you Saturday, then. I think I have to go now, Ryou needs my help with something. **

Marik moved his cursor over the smiley emoticons displayed on the screen. Noticing an interesting one in the box, Marik clicked on it and quickly pressed enter, successfully sending the message.

Bakura raised an eyebrow at the choice of emoticon. "A bear hug?"

Marik grinned, crossing his arms proudly "It is an _evil_ bear hug, Bakura. It is squeezing the life out of him…virtually"

Bakura rolled his eyes before glancing back at the laptop screen where a reply was blinking innocently.

**Yugi Moto: It's ok. Ryou will be fine as long as he doesn't bring it. :) Sure thing. Tell Ryou I hope he is alright, and I look forward to seeing him soon. (hug)**

"Ah!" Marik screeched. "Fluffy! He sent me back the bear. It's squeezing my life away!"

"God, you do realize that you shared a friendship hug with that idiot, right?" Bakura growled. "You are such a sap".

"Hey!" Marik glared, offended. "I told you it was a _virtual_ hug, fluffy. Real hugs are more like this!" Without warning the Egyptian jumped his pale partner, sending both their laptops teetering precariously close to the edge of the sofa and wrapping his tanned arms tightly around Bakura's chest, settling his head in his white fluffy hair. Bakura felt his face heat up at the sudden extreme proximity and grasped Marik's shoulders, unsuccessfully trying to dislodge him. Marik mistook the gesture and cuddled closer, making Bakura's arms fall naturally around his back. The pale spirit cursed loudly. "Dammit Marik, would you just bloody move! You've got to end this ridiculous conversation so that I can finally go back to bed".

Marik released him with a wide grin, turning back to his laptop.

**Kiram: I will. Bye Yugi.**

**Yugi Moto: Goodbye Kiram. :)**

"There, see? All done!" Marik laughed. "So can I hug you again now?"

"No you bloody well can't", Bakura growled, cheeks still a little hot. "Yugi's messaged me the details now. I've got to reply".

"Hurry up then", Marik sniffed, reading over his shoulder and wrinkling his nose at Yugi's latest message.

**Yugi Moto: :D He said he'd love to. He is not very good with crowds so I suggested that it be just us three? Ryou is coming too. It is going to happen on Saturday if that is alright with you. I told him to come anytime he wants.**

**Joey Wheeler: Oh, yeah sure, I'm in! See ya then, Yug. And I am going ta beat you this time!**

**Yugi Moto: Maybe you'll be able to beat Kiram too. Okay, I'll see you soon. Thanks, again.**

**Joey Wheeler: Don worry about it.**

"Ha!" Marik laughed loudly. "As if you would ever be able to defeat me! I am the master in this relationship!"

Bakura rolled his eyes, shutting down his laptop and heading straight back to his room. Marik followed after him, loudly proclaiming the brilliance of their latest evil plans as he sat down in the chair by the desk. Bakura fell back onto the bed, trying to ignore the stupid Egyptian's loud comments as he tried again to sleep, pillow once more firmly placed over both his ears.

It was going to be a long night.

**This is it for now! Look out for an update ^_^ Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoyed! - Jem and FG16**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is our update! Also, the cover photo was drawn by my wondrous writing partner FanGirl16. The link is here: art/Dastardly-Deeds-370602962?q=gallery%3Amywiilz&qo=2 and you should all go check out her brilliant artwork! Anyway, without further ado, here is the next chapter. Enjoy! - Jem and FanGirl16**

Bakura woke that morning with a deep feeling of dread in his gut. It wasn't helped by the fact that his silly blonde companion was bounding around the flat, loudly exclaiming the brilliance of their new evil plan as he threw together bits and pieces that he thought would be helpful. Bakura merely watched him from the sofa, his hard brown eyes half-closed and his arms crossed in front of his chest. Marik came to sit next to him, bouncing excitedly. "Bakura! Today is going to be brilliant! We shall defeat the Pharaoh and his silly little midget once and for all!"

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Yes, Marik. Congratulations."

"But Bakura, we have a bit of a problem," Marik continued with wide eyes, leaning closer and placing a hand on Bakura's knee. "How are we going to stop Yugi from recognising me? And he's going to be expecting Joey! What are we going to do?"

Bakura's dark eyes narrowed in thought for a moment as he ran Marik's words through his head. He had forgotten about the issue with Wheeler. This was indeed a problem. Yugi was expecting to see the other blond as well as them coming over to the gameshop, of course the real Joey didn't know of this.

Marik stared up at his friend with pleading eyes. The thoughts hadn't crossed his own mind until earlier that morning. He couldn't risk being seen because that would just ruin the plan, but also he couldn't risk Wheeler getting involved. He could have used the rod to control the idiot but unfortunately the pharaoh had manipulated him to give up the item. No more mind control for him. The only option, and it annoyed Marik to do so, was to beg Bakura for help.

Bakura rolled his eyes at Marik's hopeless expression. "Oh, stop it, Marik. We'll be fine."

Marik shook his head, leaning closer still; Bakura looked away irritably. When Marik spoke, his voice was small. "But, 'Kura, I can't risk the Pharaoh seeing me working with you! It's alright for you, you can just pretend to be Ryou."

Bakura released a long drawn out sigh, his eyes fluttering closed. "You know I hate pretending to be Ryou. And if you dress a little differently, or, you know, just sensibly for once in your life, then Yugi won't be able to tell."

Marik frowned, thinking his words over before his head shot up. "Hey!" He exclaimed loudly. "Bakura! I DO dress sensibly!"

"Of course." Bakura couldn't resist the chance to tease his Egyptian companion, cracking open one eye to send him a smirk. "Don't worry, Marik. All you have to do is dress like a man, and Yugi won't recognise you at all."

"What is _that _supposed to mean?!" Marik screeched, throwing his hands up in the air in absolute rage.

"Exactly what it sounds like" Bakura grinned, his eyes sliding shut again. He was slightly surprised when Marik didn't reply and felt the weight of the cushion beside him lighten. There wasn't even a growl or angry remark as he heard Marik's heavy footsteps exit the room. What was that Egyptian up to? Well, at least it allowed Bakura to get some more peace which had been interrupted yesterday.

As per usual though, it didn't last long as Marik's feet thumped back into the room. Without opening his eyes, Bakura raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Marik, what the bloody hell are you doing?" Silence followed. A little confused at the odd behaviour he was receiving from his companion, Bakura warily opened his eyes. He could not believe the sight before him.

Marik stood with his arms crossed, a blank look on his face. Of course, the expressionless look didn't throw Bakura at all. The sight of what was hanging from Marik's shoulders was the most disturbing. The boy was dressed in a familiar white and blue striped shirt which hung loosely against his chest. The clothing was clearly to big for him and stretched down, hiding the tanned midriff from view. However the shirt also fit far too snugly over the boy's shoulders revealing his collarbone and part of his upper arms. Bakura couldn't pull his gaze from the amount of bronze flesh that teased him from his seat on the sofa.

As much as it disturbed Bakura to see Marik wearing his clothing, he had to admit that Marik looked damn good.

"Will this work?" Marik's voice sounded small, his eyes hiding emotion as he watched Bakura's expression.

Bakura swallowed, doing his utmost to keep his face its usual pallid colour. He shifted a little, sitting upright and opening both eyes, allowing his gaze to run over Marik's tanned, perfect form. He was also wearing a pair of Ryou's blue jeans, contrasting oddly with his tanned skin and hanging far too loosely for Bakura's taste. The pale spirit raised his head slowly, looking back into Marik's slightly worried eyes. When he spoke, he strove to keep his voice calm, although it was a little raspier than usual. "Ahem. Yes. That should work."

Marik nodded, nibbling his lip as he sat back on the edge of the sofa. "I figured it might help. I don't like your clothes though; they're itchy." Bakura ignored that rather inane comment, instead allowing Marik to continue. "So, this solves my problem. But what about Joey? Yugi's going to be suspicious if he doesn't show up."

Bakura nodded slightly, tearing his eyes away from Marik with some difficulty. "It's fine. I'll just send him a message telling him Joey can't come. Problem solved."

Marik nodded, his violet eyes staring down at the floor as he listened to Bakura's breathing. He had thought that picking out something to wear would be easy but just going in the room had him stumped. All of the clothes in his wardrobe had been worn around Yugi before so there was no doubt he would be recognised. The only option he had left was to dress in something he would never have considered _ever_ wearing. That, of course being Bakura's...or Ryou's clothes. To say he was embarrassed was an understatement.

Marik sat in his slouched position, shifting now and then and tugging on the itchy shirt on his skin. He was definitely uncomfortable and it made him even worse when he felt Bakura's gaze on him.

Bakura had opened his laptop and was pulling up Skype as Marik shifted uncomfortably on the sofa beside him. Sensing his discomfort, Bakura shot him a look, although this proved to only make Marik even more uneasy. He turned his back to his pale companion, pulling his knees up to the sofa and curling his arms around them, resting his head on top and allowing the blonde strands to fall into his eyes. Bakura watched him a moment longer before releasing a loud sigh. "Will you relax. You look fine. Quit worrying."

"Easy for you to say," Marik muttered under his breath, keeping his stiff form turned away from Bakura. "Just send your message, and let's get this over with."

Bakura watched a moment longer before turning to his skype messages; luckily, Yugi was online, so it didn't take long for Bakura to send him some inane excuse for Joey not being there later. He shot another sidelong glance at Marik, deciding to speak to try and make the boy feel a little more comfortable. "That's over and done with, then."

Marik turned his head a little, fixing Bakura with one piercing violet eye. "What did you say to him?"

Bakura shrugged. "That Tristan was going to see Serenity, and Wheeler wanted to gatecrash."

Marik felt a smile break across his face, despite his still obvious feelings of discomfort. "Really? You think Yugi will buy that?"

"Oh, please," Bakura scoffed with a sidelong smirk. "If he can believe that _you_ are some sensible male Egyptian called Karim, then he can believe anything."

Marik glared menacingly at Bakura but kept his mouth shut. Instead he remained sitting awkwardly with his head buried in his knees. He didn't know what to do now. Sure, Bakura had said he looked fine, but the spirit was very difficult to read. He could say anything and it would seem like he meant it. But what would Yugi think? He knew that the clothes probably wouldn't be enough as Marik's hair and eye colour may be a big give away. He was sure it could easily be fixed, though.

Bakura turned and fixed Marik with his gaze when he received no reply. He sighed in frustration and rubbed his temple. "What time were we planning on going?"

Marik peered up through his blond bangs "Um, I'm not sure. I think there are still some things we need to do."

Bakura's eyebrow raised. "Like what?" Marik responded by tugging at his hair. "What am I supposed to do about that? You won't let me near you with scissors and you most definitely won't dye it"

"Then what are we supposed to do? My eyes also scream 'hey, I'm Marik Ishtar! I've come to defeat you in a children's card game and spam your youtube accounts'."

"Very accurate way of putting it" Bakura replied with an eye roll.

Marik missed Bakura's humour in his agitated state, hands still fisted in his hair. "This is just a total disaster! Why did I ever think this was a good idea? Bakura, what do I do? I'm going to ruin everything!"

Bakura closed his eyes, releasing another loud sigh. A panicked Marik was no good for anything - not that the boy was much use anyway, but now it would just be even harder for Bakura to get any sense out of him. Just as he expected, Marik soon rose from the sofa and began pacing around the room, head hanging and hands gesticulating wildly. "There is no way this plan is ever going to work! We're doomed, Bakura!"

This was getting out of hand. With one fluid motion Bakura was up and out of his seat, laptop landing safely on the sofa as he strode over to Marik. The Egyptian froze in surprise, watching warily and unable to keep the hint of worry from his eyes. Bakura caught the look and sighed. Reaching out, he took Marik's hands in his own, meeting his gaze calmly and waiting for the boy to stop shivering. "Marik." His voice was cool and patient, and it succeeded in getting Marik to stand still. "Listen. You're right about your hair and eyes, but I'm almost certain that if you tie your hair back and maybe wear a hat, you'll be fine. As for your eyes, I'm almost certain Ryou has sunglasses somewhere; we'll just steal them. Alright?"

Marik looked back at him, shoulders still tense. "But I'll look like a total freak! It's already bad enough that I have to dress like you..."

"Like Ryou, actually," Bakura disagreed mildly. "And I already told you that you look fine." Seeing Marik still looked worried, Bakura moved his hands up Marik's arms until they rested on his shoulders. "Look, this was your evil plan anyway. It will work. Yugi won't recognise you; he didn't even really spend that much time with you in the first place. And even if he does, I'll just stab him in the face. Alright?"

Strangely, the violent solution made Marik feel better. It took a few minutes but the Egyptian was able to calm down and stop himself from shaking in Bakura's grasp. The touch alone seemed to relax him as now he was sure that what Bakura had said was true and not just there for reassurance. Bakura watched as Marik's panicked violet eyes fluttered back to their normal state and the worried gaze had calmed. There was still a swirl of worry in them but it was under control enough for Bakura to let go of Marik's arms. They immediately tingled at the loss of flesh between his fingers.

"Ryou has a brush in the other room. I'll go find a hat" Bakura said as he turned to go into the bedroom. He was stopped as a tanned hand gripped onto his arm in a painfully tight grasp.

"Could you help me?" Marik asked, his eyes gleaming with something more than worry. Bakura's eyes narrowed and he sighed with irritation as he shook off the hand. Marik was such a child. He couldn't even brush his own hair now? Nevertheless Bakura walked into the next room with Marik following behind.

Marik entered Ryou's bedroom with a strange purpose to his movements, hand still gripped tightly onto Bakura's arm as he pulled him along behind him. Bakura scoffed as Marik stopped moving, confused. "Just sit down, idiot. I'll get the brush."

Marik smiled as Bakura moved around him, taking a seat and watching him around the room. Bakura went to a drawer by the bed, rummaging for a second before re-emerging with a brush and settling behind Marik on the bed. The Egyptian closed his eyes blissfully when the brush made contact.

Bakura watched with interest as Marik's shoulders relaxed, continuing to pull the brush through his sandy blonde locks. Marik slid back a little, leaning against Bakura's chest; this was a step too far for the spirit, though. He jerked away, brush leaving Marik's locks. "Th-that's quite enough of that," He scoffed. "Tie your hair up, Marik. I'm going to find that hat."

Bakura stood from the bed with such speed that Marik didn't even notice the spirit leave until after the door closed. The brush lay on the desk near the bed and Marik could only stare in confusion at it. He couldn't understand why Bakura had acted so strangely. It had only been an innocent gesture of him wanting help to feel better while looking good. The sudden movement of Bakura had shocked the Egyptian and now he just felt even more worried. Had he done something wrong? The boy sighed and grabbed the handle of the brush. A band was lying nearby so he scooped it over his wrist and swung his hair up messily until it all rested in his palm. His locks were definitely softer and free of knots so at least Bakura had finished brushing rather than leaving it half done. Marik could feel a slight disappointment, though. He had enjoyed having the teeth of the brush combing through his hair.

With another sigh Marik tied his hair into a messy ponytail and dropped the brush back onto the desk. He had no idea what had gotten into Bakura but he hoped that the spirit had calmed down. He took a breath and approached the door, flinging it open and heading out to find his partner.

Marik found Bakura in the middle of the hallway, scrabbling about in a nearby cupboard. Marik leaned against the wall, folding his arms and watching as the pale spirit finally emerged, hat in hand. He passed it to Marik wordlessly. Marik took it with a reluctant sigh, pulling it over his head. They completed the look with a pair of Ryou's sunglasses, and as Bakura looked at the now-disguised Egyptian, he couldn't hold back a heavy snort of laughter.

Marik looked mildly offended. "What's got into you?"

Bakura guffawed loudly. "You look hilarious."

His laughter was enough to ease the remaining tension between them, and Marik looked away, sniffing haughtily. "Asshole."

Marik turned on his heel and briskly walked away, his ponytail flicking against his back with every step. Bakura watched him go with a smirk. He was pleased that the Egyptian was finally back to his normal self. Although, as he would probably later find out, he would change his mind in an instant. For the moment, though Bakura was going to enjoy teasing the other. When was he ever able to tease Marik about his hilariously outrageous looks? Oh wait. Always.

"Fluffy? What are you going to eat? We should eat before we go out because there is no way I'm munching any of _his_ food" Marik's voice rung from the kitchen. Bakura ignored the annoying use of his nickname and stalked off towards the occupied room. When the spirit managed to get to the doorway he peered inside to watch Marik's fingers play with the bread that was making crumbs on the counter. That boy was such a messy person. Bakura almost groaned at the streaks of butter that stained the once clean work space.

Bakura took a seat at the table with an exaggerated sigh. "Marik, will you please not make so much of a bloody mess."

Marik merely stuck his tongue out over his shoulder, quickly making them both a sandwich and sitting opposite his pale partner. "You are such a clean freak, Bakura! Loosen up a little!"

Bakura merely sighed, although he could feel a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth due to the Egyptian's ridiculous appearance. "You were the one who just freaked out over your appearance for a whole hour, Marik." Bakura devoured his sandwich in seconds, ignoring Marik's wrinkled nose and faintly disgusted look.

"You're a pig, 'Kura," Marik muttered silently, tucking into his own food daintily. Bakura merely rolled his eyes in response.

It was silent for a moment, Bakura merely watching as Marik nibbled at the bread. He didn't understand how the boy could eat so slowly. It was all going to be eaten eventually so why waste time by taking the tiniest of bites from the food. Sure, Bakura, or Ryou, was a clean freak but when it came to food he couldn't careless where the crumbs ended up. As long as everything was cleaned up afterwards it was fine. When it came to Marik, the teen would sit and nibble at his food like a mouse eating cheese. He would constantly lick his lips or wipe his chin to rid himself of invisible crumbs. It was so annoying. Why was he stuck with the most slowest eater? And a vegetarian!

Marik was once again oblivious to Bakura's odd thoughts and didn't notice when the boy's eyes narrowed in frustration. Marik just continued to bite into his sandwich, savouring the delicious taste of cheddar.

Bakura watched with his eyes dark slits as each last crumb of Marik's sandwich disappeared. The Egyptian licked his lips, remaining totally unaware of Bakura's fixation. "Alright, Fluffy, I'm done eating now! Get your clean freak host to sort everything out later. For now, we've got some serious Pharaoh butt to kick!" Marik frowned when Bakura gave no response, finally catching on to his unfocused eyes. "Um ... Fluffy? Bakura! Are you even listening to me?"

Marik's irritating voice finally grated Bakura's nerves enough to get him to look up from his contemplation of Marik's lips, and he smirked at the annoyed violet gaze that was trained on him. "So sorry, Marik. Are you finally ready to go?"

Marik growled. "You idiot! I was ready to leave ages ago, but you did that weird thing where you just stare at me for ages! What's even with that? I mean, I know I'm exceptionally good looking and that you're gay and everything, but seriously, you should just get over yourself. I'm way out of your league!"

Bakura allowed a frustrated growl to escape his lips. Marik's constant denial was getting old fast, but try as he might Bakura could not get him out of the closet. Still, it couldn't hurt to try, right? It was with a wicked smirk that Bakura advanced, sliding out of his seat and edging towards his Egyptian companion. "Ah, Marik, have you finally noticed? And here I was, thinking you were still stuck in that closet."

"What?" Marik demanded as he lifted his head to stare down the spirit. His violet eyes followed Bakura as the pale boy moved around the table slowly, almost teasingly.

"You heard me. I was getting a little worried that you were never going to come out" Bakura replied calmly. His brown eyes gazing over Marik with a spark clearly visible within them. Bakura was aware of Marik's sexuality. It was clear to anyone who saw him that he was gay. Unfortunately due to the boy's stubbornness, Marik was so far in the closet that he had started developing some Narnian imaginary friends.

"I'm not gay!" Came the predictable response. This had been so common that Bakura didn't even roll his eyes. Instead he moved even closer to the Egyptian boy, smirking even wider at the pink dusting on the tanned cheeks. The boy's noses touched. Marik's chair was up against the wall so he was unable to move from his position. He could only crane his neck to the side to try and hide his face. Bakura's body hovered above him, the pale arms either side of the chair.

"What's the matter, Marik? If you're not gay then this shouldn't bother you" Bakura stated. His lips curved upwards in a lazy grin. His breath blew from between them and danced across Marik's flesh making him shiver.

"Well, it does! How can it not bother me when someone is in my personal space?" Marik cried, his head still turned to the side.

Bakura merely grinned, enjoying Marik's discomfort. "Personal space means nothing between roommates, Marik. You ought to know that."

Marik just sent his pale partner-in-crime a glare, his brows lowering comically behind the sunglasses he had perched on top of his head, his blonde hair falling in front of his face. "But, Fluffy, we have other things to do! Yugi will be waiting..."

Bakura pretended to contemplate that for a moment, placing one pale finger on his chin without moving back, enjoying his proximity to Marik. "Well, he can wait a little longer, then." This was far too good an opportunity to miss, and Bakura sidled a little closer, not missing the way Marik's eyes widened, his cheeks turning even darker.

Marik wriggled with discomfort. "'Kura, please ... we need to go..."

Bakura could feel his resolve weaken at Marik's weak pleading, trying to ignore those violet eyes that kept him so firmly in place. With a sigh, he took a step back, and Marik released a relieved sigh. "Right. Let's go! The Pharaoh awaits; let the butt-kicking commence!"

Marik jumped up from his seat quickly. His glasses shook as he pushed past Bakura, careful not to fall over his own feet as he exited the kitchen. He had no idea what had gotten into Bakura all day. The spirit had constantly being changing moods. Yes, Bakura had these strange moods but he had never kept changing from one emotion to the next. Truth was, it kind of scared Marik. The boy wasn't sure what mood he liked Bakura in. For the moment he was happy just to be away from that kitchen where Bakura was still leaning against the chair. Marik stopped just before the door and turned his head to look over his shoulder, his glasses drooped until they slipped over the violet eyes hiding them from view.

"Kura! Come on, we have to defeat the pharaoh and his annoying midget host" Marik yelled. There was a purposefully drawn out sigh before Bakura moved from the kitchen. His eyes were narrowed and arms crossed over his chest. Again, Marik noticed another mood change. It only made him more confused as the spirit burst into fits of laughter. Marik sighed. "What are you laughing at now?"

Bakura's sides hurt as he clutched them. His cackles echoed in his ears as he watched the Egyptian place his hands on his hips. Bakura just couldn't help it. The ridiculous attire accompanied with the still slightly pink cheeks was just too hilarious. How could no one find it funny? He looked even more feminine than he did in his normal clothes. This was just too bloody good.

Marik frowned at Bakura's continuing laughter, sticking one hip out as he glared. "Bakura! I'm warning you, stop being so frigging confusing!"

Bakura, unusually, actually paid attention to his words this time, looking up with an interested gleam to his eyes. "Confusing, eh? Just what are you _confused_ about, Marik?"

Marik watched warily as Bakura advanced again, nervously making sure his back wasn't near any walls. "You! You're being really weird today. Like, weirder than normal, I mean. You keep frigging staring at me!"

Bakura allowed a smirk to tug at the corner of his mouth, taking another step closer and openly running his eyes up and down Marik's body. He had to admit, seeing the Egyptian dressed in his host's clothes was a little too close to a turn-on for comfort. He covered his rather unsavoury thoughts with an arrogant lift of his chin. "Well, Marik, is it any wonder, really? You ARE looking remarkably ... _unusual_ ... today, after all. It's only natural that I look at you, when you look so odd."

Marik crossed his arms self-consciously in front of his chest, shuffling from one foot to the other. "You know I have to dress like this, if our evil plan is going to work. I don't like it. Your clothes are irritating. Anyway, it isn't like you're any better! At least I make this outfit look good!"

Bakura merely waved the insult away and took another step closer, his steps moving him closer to the childish Egyptian. "If you mean flapping your arms around and squealing like a woman, then yes, you are making that outfit look _hot_." Bakura leant forward as he purposefully placed emphasis on the last word. His eyelids slid down slightly, his face mere inches from Marik's. The Egyptian glared from beneath the glasses, keeping his body firmly planted in that position.

"I'm Marik Ishtar. Anything I wear makes me look hot!" Marik said, completely ignoring the insults that had been thrown in his face. Bakura moved ever closer, his smirk never once leaving his pale face.

"Most definitely" Bakura purred, his fingers twitching at his sides as he tried to stop them from reaching out for the tanned flesh. To Bakura's surprise, a cheeky grin appeared on Marik's face and before the spirit could blink the Egyptian had launched himself into Bakura's chest. The tanned arms had wrapped around Bakura in a tight grip and a hat covered head was resting on his shoulder. What had just happened? The hug was very awkward for Bakura but he was able to remain standing instead of being trapped on the floor. His fingers seemed to twitch even more noticeably as he tried to get over the sudden shock of being captured in Marik's arms.

Marik allowed a sly grin to flicker over his face at Bakura's very obvious discomfort. Well, it was about time the tables turned! Marik buried his head further into Bakura's shoulder, tightening his arms and releasing a sigh, mouth only stretching wider when Bakura stiffened against him. The pale spirit was frozen in shock, at a loss as to why Marik had suddenly decided that physical contact between them was a _good_ thing. Marik's head nuzzled his neck slightly and Bakura struggled to hold back a moan, pressing his lips together tightly. As Marik's lips brushed his skin, however, Bakura lost it a little, and before he knew what he was doing his arms were tight around Marik's back, his hands pulling him closer. In his hazy state of slight shock, Bakura didn't even notice when Marik stopped moving. His eyes fluttered closed as he dared to hold Marik, dared to feel his heat radiating so close, his lips, his skin...

"Fluffy, please let me go."

Bakura felt his heart drop at Marik's strained tone, his hands reluctantly falling away from Marik's back as he stepped away. The young Egyptian backed away quickly, refusing to meet Bakura's gaze, his cheeks quite clearly blazing. Bakura heaved a long-suffering sigh. "Marik, what is your problem now? You're the one who just randomly jumped me, you know."

Marik shifted and adjusted his glasses so that there wasn't a slight chance Bakura could see his eyes. Bakura managed to hide his disappointment with an annoyed expression. He crossed his arms over his now cold chest and scowled. Marik didn't answer. He wasn't exactly positive why he had flung himself at Bakura. He had a feeling that the spirit would be grossed out by the bodily contact as he had been minutes before. Marik had wanted to show Bakura how disturbed and awkward it was to suddenly be approached and have his personal space invaded. It hadn't worked out as he had planned, though. Why had everything been so out of control today? Why had everything become so weird? There had never been so much awkwardness between them before.

Marik peered up at the white haired boy and winced at the expression on his face. This was stupid! Why had Bakura suddenly become playful? What was with all this teasing and mood changes? It was driving Marik insane. With a glare Marik turned and grabbed the door handle. He didn't care anymore. He didn't care if Bakura was following or not but he had a pharaoh's butt to kick. In an instant the Egyptian had pulled the door and stormed out of the apartment, leaving Bakura fuming behind.

Bakura watched the door slam shut with a deep frown, allowing a frustrated growl to rip from his throat once Marik was safely out of earshot. He dropped his head into his hands, striving to rein in his out-of-control emotions. He wasn't used to this; these sudden mood swings, the awkward way he would watch Marik, his dreams making him want to either laugh or cry. He had no idea why he was so drawn to this silly Egyptian, with his ridiculous schemes and foolhardy obsession with defeating the Pharaoh. Why was Bakura even still here? Why did he follow Marik wherever he went, going along with all his ridiculous plans? He should just stay here. Marik would have to make do without him. Determined, Bakura turned his back on the front door, arms crossed firmly in front of him.

Bakura lasted maybe five minutes before he released a long sigh, worry causing a tight band to tighten around his chest. What if Marik got himself in trouble? He could get mugged along the way, or attacked by some pervert. And how would Marik ever be able to face the Pharaoh on his own? He was little more than a spoiled child, and he never managed to survive long without getting himself into some mess that Bakura had to sort out for him. No, Bakura knew deep down that he would always go to help that ridiculous blonde child, no matter how much he knew it was simply a fruitless task. He would be eternally disappointed.

So the white haired thief turned back to the door with a glare. His long pale fingers grasped the handle in a death grip. He knew that even if his emotions were driving him insane and would probably be the death of him he would probably still end up crawling after that bloody Egyptian. What was he doing now? He could easily turn and sit in the apartment for Ra knows how long, but then that horrible worry in his chest would suffocate him. He could let those perverts take Marik and have him out of his hair, but then he would have to be stuck dealing with Ryou's upset ramblings. Why couldn't he have just been alone for the entirety of searching for the items? Why had he had stooped so low as to agree to work with the Egyptian?

So many questions rolled around in Bakura's head. More just seemed to add with every step he took as he raced to catch up with that effeminate fool.

**There you go! Thanks for reading, and thanks to all who have reviewed/faved/followed as well. Hope you enjoyed! - Jem and FanGirl16**


	4. Chapter 4

**We have an update! Sorry this took so long, there were just a million interruptions. If I wasn't busy then FanGirl16's internet wasn't working, and when it was I was busy, and when she wasn't busy my internet/laptop broke ... it was just a general nightmare haha. But it is written, and it is here! Thank you for your patience, and hope you enjoy! XD**

Yugi sat at his laptop happily, the Millennium Puzzle in its usual place around his neck as he logged into Skype. He was quite excited about today, because he knew that Joey was going to introduce him to the new Egyptian. Kiram had seemed very friendly on Skype, and Yugi had to admit that he was looking forward to meeting him, especially as he had said that he had rare Duel Monsters' cards. An orange screen suddenly blinked at the bottom of his desktop, and Yugi pulled up Skype, smiling when he saw that Joey had messaged him. His expression drooped a bit, however, when he saw what Joey had typed. **'Hey Yuge, I can't go with you and Kiram today, Tristan's tryin' ta see Serenity again.'**

Yugi read the message a few times with sad, purple eyes. He had been looking forward to seeing everyone there, present. Unfortunately it seemed that he would have to go alone when meeting Kiram and Ryou. He couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed at Tristan for being so forward. It was clear he had a crush on Serenity, but even he had to admit that Tristan was trying too hard. Because of his actions it ultimately led to angering Joey and irritating Yugi. Of course, the small boy was too kind to show his irritation, but this time there was no one there to see his annoyance. Yugi let his frustration show clearly as a dark frown and quickly placed his pale fingers to the keyboard where he typed a reply. **'That's perfectly fine Joey. I hope to see you soon.'** The boy's index finger slid from the 'n' button and pushed on enter. With a disappointed sigh, Yugi placed his laptop on the floor by his feet. He had lost interest in it now.

The Puzzle lightly glowed, and that comforting shadow that Yugi had come to trust so much appeared by his side. Yami looked with an almost sad expression down at Yugi, who sighed loudly and rested his head in his hands. "I'm fine, Yami. Honestly."

"I didn't say you weren't, Yugi," Yami responded softly. "But you're clearly upset about something."

"It's Joey," Yugi said a little sadly. "I just wish he was coming, too. Ryou will be there with Kiram, but I just wish I had more of a familiar face with me. I mean, sure, I know Ryou, but not as well as Joey."

A frown briefly creased Yami's translucent brow as he hovered by Yugi's side. He placed one insubstantial hand on Yugi's shoulder, knowing that the small teen couldn't feel the touch, but that it would be appreciated anyway. It was certainly strange that Joey would so quickly pull out of the meeting. "Ryou? Ryou Bakura?"

Yugi looked up with shining purple eyes, his expression downcast. "Yeah, Ryou Bakura. Why?"

The shadowy Yami stared at his companion with a rather glazed look in his eyes. His eyebrows furrowed in thought, but his eyes remained far away. Yugi watched his Yami in confusion, becoming more worried the longer Yami stayed quiet. Why was the name Ryou Bakura such a trigger to his ghostly friend? Sure, the name Bakura still sent shivers up his spine but the spirit had gone now. Ryou had come to him in a panic and had reassured Yugi that the dark spirit's presence had vanished. Of course, he had been sceptical at first but even he could no longer feel Bakura's aura. However Ryou had wanted to keep the Ring despite everything. It still seemed to bother the pale boy at times and Yugi had seen pained expressions on Ryou's face at school. Maybe he could finally get Ryou to part with the Ring today, though he had told Kiram to keep the Ring away from Ryou.

"Yami?" Yugi asked hesitantly as he waved a hand in front of his blank face. Yami didn't move which made the other even more concerned. "Yami!"

"Huh?" Yami said as his eyes came back into focus after a couple of blinks. Yugi gave Yami a smile.

"Welcome back. You okay?" Yami's eyes narrowed as his previous thoughts rushed back to him. He gripped Yugi's other shoulder although, if Yugi wanted to move, Yami couldn't keep him planted.

"Does Ryou still have the Ring?" Yami asked, his tone determined.

"Yes, you knew this. We let him keep it, remember?"

Yami shook his head, his eyes widening in something akin to fear. "Is he wearing it? Will he be wearing it today?"

Yugi frowned, standing to be better able to trace the spirit's expression. "Yes, he will have it today; why? What's the problem?"

Yami was looking out into the distance, his expression glazed over and his eyes seeming to pass straight through his young partner. Yugi watched with worry growing in his gut. "Yami? What is it? What's wrong?"

Yami's only response was a whispered, "Kiram ... an Egyptian called Kiram ... Gods, how stupid do they think we are? He even mentioned being a great duellist and knowing a white spirit!"

As Yugi stared up at his partner, his jaw suddenly dropped in shock as he realised just exactly what Yami was getting at. Yugi jumped back, his hands automatically flying to his Puzzle as if to make sure it still hung in its proper place, safe around his neck. "You don't think - Marik? Marik wouldn't dare to come back here, would he?"

Yami looked down at Yugi, trying to seem comforting although his eyes betrayed his inner worry. "I think we must be very cautious. If Ryou has his Ring, bad things tend to happen, and now we suspect Marik ... We must take great care here, Yugi."

Yugi nodded up at Yami, his face was still betraying his slight fear. He wasn't sure what to think of this. Marik had moved away after Duellist Kingdom presumably with Ishizu and Odion. Yugi had been sure that Marik would stay with them and not bother with his silly plans. Of course, Yugi had to be naive and believe everything 'Kiram' had said. The pale boy sighed in frustration and released a hand on the puzzle to rub his face. How could he have been so stupid! But...

Yugi turned to Yami with a quizzical purple gaze. "So, Kiram is Marik." Yami nodded "But what about Bakura? Surely Marik wouldn't be working alone." Yami regarded his partner carefully before speaking.

"I think that 'Joey' is Bakura, aibou," Yami replied with a frown.

Yugi's eyes widened in shock. "Joey?! No! You don't think Joey's been captured?"

"No, I don't." A gentle smile tugged at Yami's lips as he gazed down at Yugi, his insubstantial hands still placed lightly on his shoulders. His young partner could still be so innocent at times. "I suspect Bakura hacked Joey's Skype account. That would explain his sudden refusal to come to the meeting today – Bakura will be posing as Ryou, and he and Marik wouldn't want you to get suspicious when Joey doesn't show up."

Yugi thought it over, his violet eyes narrowing with each consecutive idea. "Of course. It would be just like Bakura to try something as devious as that." A small part of Yugi still rejected the thought, though; he had always trusted Joey implicitly, and the idea that he had been tricked into thinking he was talking to Joey made Yugi's skin crawl. He felt even worse when he realised that he'd really been talking to the Spirit of the Ring, and not his amiable friend. Yugi couldn't hold back a shudder.

Yami's eyes softened as he stared down at Yugi, his fingers tightening on the shoulders. He knew that Marik and Bakura weren't complete idiots. For once it seemed they knew what they were doing, or at least Bakura did. Still, Yami knew that both fools could be sorted out, but he and Yugi had to be smart about this. It was just lucky they had both figured out Marik's and Bakura's plan.

"Yugi, like I said, we have to be careful," Yami started. Yugi's face had seemed to calm slightly so Yami continued. "We have to outsmart them somehow."

Yugi watched as his friend's expression turned thoughtful, a slight glint to the spirit's eye. "Do you have a plan, Yami?"

"I just might," The other answered mysteriously.

Yami beckoned Yugi closer, lowering his head so that his lips just brushed his ear. When Yugi heard the plan a wide grin stretched across his face, and he turned with a laugh to the phone.

...

"Marik!" Bakura called as he darted along the street, racing to catch up with the stupid Egyptian. He knew Marik had some reason to be mad at him – that hug had been decidedly weird – but really, this was taking things too far. If they were to stand any chance at all of succeeding in this plan, they would need to work together. Marik's back remained stiff, his head turned firmly forwards down the street, and so Bakura was forced to run after him, feeling decidedly stupid. He cursed under his breath when Marik turned a corner. "Marik, stop! Don't be such a fool."

Marik growled to himself when he heard Bakura's voice even closer than it was five minutes ago. Bakura was a quick runner so it surprised the Egyptian that Bakura hadn't caught up with him yet. Still, Marik was grateful for the space he had now. He was able to think straight and calm the burning in his cheeks. He told himself it was just anger, but deep down he knew it was something else. Why had Bakura had to act all ... fluffy? It seemed even his rare personality matched his nickname. Bakura was strange, but he had never been so soft before. It was scary and so out of character for him. Sure, it was a hug but Bakura never touched him like that. Marik could tell it wasn't teasing either.

The Egyptian sighed and wrapped his arms around his torso. Why was he even thinking into this? It was a one time thing, it wasn't like Bakura would hug him again. It just felt strange. Marik listened again to the progressively loud voice of his friend, and his footsteps slapping off the pavement. Marik decided stretching was a good idea at that moment. He might as well enjoy the amount of space he had until Bakura caught up.

Bakura watched sullenly, his eyes narrowed at his Egyptian companion as Marik stretched. The gesture seemed nonchalant, and Bakura for some inexplicable reason felt irritated – he had just been forced to run half-way round the block to catch up with him, and Marik didn't look fazed at all. Growling deep in his throat, Bakura pushed the last few steps forward and caught Marik's arm, spinning the blond Egyptian round. "Marik. What the hell is wrong with you? Why didn't you wait for me?"

Marik stiffened in Bakura's grip, instinctively pulling away from the hand on his arm. After the hug back at the flat, he was still definitely jumpy and extremely wary of any move Bakura might make. Bakura noticed his preoccupation and rolled his eyes, but he didn't release Marik. "I'm not going to jump you, if that's what you're worried about. I just want to know what your problem is. We need to focus on defeating Yugi, and I can't be dealing with you having a hissy fit over something as ridiculous as this."

Marik stayed silent, his lips set in a firm line. He didn't know what to say to Bakura. What could he say? Bakura was his best friend so saying something like 'Oh, Bakura. It just felt so friggin awkward when you hugged me. Never do it again because it makes me blush' would definitely end that friendship in a heartbeat. It would probably end with some violence too knowing Bakura. Staying quiet was the best thing besides, if things did get bad, he could just use his puppy eyes and act cute. That always seemed to work with Bakura.

The pale boy's grip tightened on the tanned arm, nails digging painfully into the flesh when he received no answer. The brown eyes regarded Marik in annoyance before he became extremely impatient with the silence.

"Bloody answer me!" Bakura hissed, not even realising his sudden temper or how tight his grip was. A small cry of pain pulled him back through the haze to be met with a fearful, violet stare.

Marik gazed up at Bakura, his slim form shaking slightly. The creases around his eyes betrayed his pain. Bakura felt a sudden rush of remorse pool in his gut, and he grimaced at the unfamiliar feeling. He _never_ felt remorse. This stupid Egyptian was ruining him. With a low growl, Bakura violently shoved Marik away from him and crossed his arms, tilting his chin upwards. "Fine. You just carry on with whatever strop you're in now, and I'll go and defeat the Pharaoh on my own. I'll let you know how I get on." Bakura pushed passed Marik without another word, his arms curled angrily into fists and his feet slapping loudly on the pavement. He had had enough of Marik's games.

Marik watched with wide eyes as Bakura stormed away. He hadn't wanted to drive him away, but if he told Bakura the truth then things would only get more awkward between them, and he couldn't afford to ruin this friendship. Bakura was everything to him – a companion, a friend, a partner in crime. Marik hated seeing him walk away. With a frustrated snarl, Marik jogged after Bakura and fell into step beside him, tucking his hands into his pockets and deciding to pretend as if nothing had happened. "So, nice weather today, huh?"

Bakura's eyes glanced to the boy beside him, still narrowed in an irritated glare. He stayed silent, not at all in the mood to bother with Marik anymore. The boy was a mystery, an annoying one at that. The more Bakura stayed to discover everything about Marik, the boy had suddenly decided to confuse Bakura more. Though now, the spirit decided to just let this mystery reveal itself. Marik was obviously worried about that hug, and tried to avoid him as much as possible. Unfortunately, Marik's loyalty kept him by Bakura's side. He just wished to know what the bloody hell was wrong with it.

Marik was clearly gay, but too damn stubborn to accept it. But, Bakura could tell how uncomfortable the Egyptian was in his arms. He felt a pull in his chest, but thought to ignore it. Marik would eventually figure everything out including his sexuality. Bakura had nothing to worry about, not that he felt worried in the first place.

Marik grew more worried every moment of Bakura's silence. Clearly, he was still mad. Marik shifted nervously, his fingers looping together and his bottom lip catching between his teeth as he cast around desperately for something to say to cheer Bakura up. He hated to see his partner cross, especially with him. Marik coughed, his mind finally turning to where they were going. A smile pulled at his lips as he thought of something Bakura would most certainly be interested in. "So, what's the plan, Bakura? What are we going to do once we get to the Game Shop?"

Bakura stayed silent for another moment, casting Marik a final suspicious look before he settled into a familiar smirk. Marik felt warmth spread through his body when he saw the familiar devilish expression. Bakura's eyes gleamed as he spoke. "We need Yugi to believe that we are perfectly innocent. I can easily pretend to be Ryou, and you look ridiculous enough to pass as some dumb Egyptian. I don't think Yugi will suspect anything."

Marik's lips curved into a smirk of his own, mirroring his partner's. That was until he realised what Bakura had just said. "Hey!" Marik cried, spinning slightly to glare up at Bakura. "Kiram isn't dumb."

Brown eyes rolled. "He is looking like that." Marik's face showed his annoyance as he huffed whilst crossing his arms, ignoring the loud guffaws of Bakura. Their laughs and bickering drowned the awkwardness between them considerably as they turned another corner. Both boys immediately clamped their mouths shut when they spotted the game shop a few metres away.

Bakura's eyes gleamed as Marik stiffened beside him, his lips twisting back into a grin. They both just stared for a moment, identical evil grins spreading across their faces as they started walking forwards. Marik caught Bakura's arm as they moved, turning his face up to his partner in crime, all awkwardness lost in his wide violet eyes. "Fluffy? This will work, won't it?"

Bakura looked at him, captured in his violet gaze, and something fluttered in his chest. His brows lowered as his grin stretched, his expression downright devilish as he responded. "Of course it will, Marik. What could possibly go wrong?"

It didn't take the two boys long to get to the building. Marik still held onto Bakura's arm for support. He hadn't even thought of their closeness or his feelings for personal space. Marik was too preoccupied staring at the small door in front of him. A friendly sign hung in his face, making him aware that the shop was open. He could hear shuffling of feet on the other side of the door which made him grin. Yugi must seem very impatient at the moment as he was kept waiting. Marik felt like laughing, but managed to keep his mouth shut. Instead the Egyptian turned his excited gaze to Bakura. When the violet eyes set on his partner, Marik couldn't help but gasp quietly. Bakura's pink lips were curved into a handsome smirk revealing his sharp canines. The brown eyes were dancing as they stared at the sign on the door. His white hair swung around his shoulders, framing his face beautifully in the light. Though most of his pale skin was shadowed by the locks of hair. In Marik's opinion, Bakura looked very intimidating with such a sly expression gracing his face. The tanned boy didn't even realise he had been staring until Bakura turned to look at him. The smirk widened.

"Are you going to knock?" The spirit asked, his tone amused.

Marik coughed and turned his head away. "Of course. You better hurry up and get into character, and act nice."

Bakura's smirk suddenly turned into a kind smile, his brown eyes softening until he no longer looked like himself. "Aren't I always?" the voice was still clearly Bakura's and Marik couldn't help but chuckle as his fist connected with the door.

The door was opened within seconds of Marik's knock, revealing a very agitated-looking Yugi. Wide eyes took in Marik's rather odd attire, eyes raking over his ill-fitting outfit, strange hat and the sunglasses that covered his eyes. With a small gulp, Yugi's gaze slid over to Bakura, his expression momentarily wilting before a bright smile covered his features. "Ryou! It's so great to see you again. And this must be Kiram?"

Bakura forced himself to keep the kind smile on his lips, his features soft and gentle as he responded. "Hello, Yugi. Yes, this is Kiram; he's new here."

Marik, bored of simply listening to the others' speech, cut in quickly with a wide grin. "Hey, Yugi! I was talking to you on Skype, and now I'm meeting you in person! This is so cool!"

Bakura's smile became fixed.

Yugi, however, simply laughed, sticking his hand out in Marik's direction. "Hello, Kiram. It's great to finally see you. You're very..." Yugi's wide eyes slid over his strange outfit once more, smile tugging at his lips. "...Exotic."

Marik happily gripped onto Yugi's hand, a bit too violently. The smaller of the two tried not to wince at the strong grip, his smile wilting slightly.

"It is nice to meet you too, Yugi." Marik replied with a grin. Bakura almost face palmed at the friendliness going on beside him. It was almost sickening. Yugi seemed to notice Bakura's small frown and turned to him, slipping his hand from Marik's death grip.

"Is everything okay, Ryou?" Yugi asked politely. If it had really been Ryou, Yugi would have at least rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. However, the boy decided to keep his distance just this once. Bakura didn't seem to notice as he widened his eyes in an innocent expression.

"Oh. Everything is fine, Yugi," Bakura answered immediately. To make the act more believable, Bakura wrapped his arms around his torso and shook his body in a shiver. "It's just a little chilly out today." Yugi's eyes widened in realisation and stepped back in order to let the guests in.

"Of course. I'm sorry, please come in."

Bakura held the door for his odd Egyptian companion, allowing him to enter the shop first. Marik happily bounded in, looking around with an eager expression at all the stalls. "Ooh! You have a lot of rare cards. Mine are rarer, of course, because I am an extremely amazing duellist, but you have some pretty good ones here."

Bakura quickly retreated into a shadowy corner, burying his head in his hands. Marik was so _dense_ at times. Yugi seemed to lap it up, though, heading over to the Egyptian's side with a happy smile. "Yes, my grandfather loves to collect rare cards."

"I can see that!" Marik laughed. "But mine are better. When I was in Egypt I made a point of collecting the best. I even had a group working for me – we were called the Rare Hu-"

Bakura leaped across the shop, his hand slamming over Marik's mouth before the idiot could give anything more away. Turning with a soft smile back to Yugi, Bakura chirruped, "Yes, we like to look at cards. Would your grandfather mind awfully if we had a look at his rarest?"

Yugi looked a little questioning at their odd behaviour, but he turned happily enough to the back of the shop. As soon as his back was turned Marik sent a death glare to his pale partner, attempting to speak around his hand, but all that came out were muffled noises.

Bakura glared right back, his hand tightening around Marik's lips. Bakura glanced over his shoulder quickly to see if Yugi was nearby. When he noticed the midget over by the front counter away from them Bakura turned back to his idiotic partner with a hiss.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're playing at?" Bakura snarled, throwing his hand away from the boy when Marik tried to talk again.

"What do you think? I'm blending in," Marik stated with a huff, his chin rising as he glared at his partner.

"Like hell you are!" Bakura replied "You can't even say a sentence without slipping up."

"I can too!" Marik cried as his hands came to rest against his hips. Bakura was about to argue when Yugi's small voice sounded from behind him.

"My grandfather's rare cards are over here." Bakura clamped his mouth shut and twisted his arm around Marik in order to shove him forwards. The Egyptian growled under his breath before eventually making his way over to the counter where several cards lay. Of course, these cards were nowhere near as rare as his, he showed his pride through a large, toothy grin.

"Well these are pretty good, Yugi, but mine are much better!" Marik boasted loudly, his chin tilting upwards. Bakura wanted to slap him. Marik was insufferable at the best of times, but he was taking it to a whole new level. They were supposed to be staying _low profile, _only that seemed to have gone completely over the stupid Egyptian's head.

Yugi didn't seem fazed by Marik's odd behaviour, however. He smiled widely, turning to the Egyptian with a gentle laugh. "Wow, Kiram, yours must be really good. I'd love to see them."

Marik positively exploded with pride. "Well, I don't know, you have to be pretty special to even be in the presence of my cards. They're, like, really dangerous. When my group and I were practising with them there were even a couple of fatalities. Nothing serious or anything, just a couple of people, but it worked because now I have lots of really pale cards!"

Bakura clamped down on his lower lip. Even Yugi took a step back at that, his expression drooping slightly as he stared at Marik, swallowing carefully. "R-really? What happened?"

Marik, of course, was completely oblivious. He opened his mouth, his chest puffing out as he drew in a breath, but Bakura was back by his side in seconds. Nails digging into Marik's arm, Bakura strove to keep his voice light and innocent as he turned to Yugi. "Enough talk of rare cards – I don't have any, after all. I'm sure you wouldn't want to leave me out, right, Yugi?"

Yugi seemed grateful for the change of subject and turned to Bakura with a shaky smile. "Of course, Ryou. I'm sorry, we haven't been talking to you much."

Bakura waved a pale hand. "It's perfectly fine, Yugi. Could we perhaps go somewhere more comfortable?" The sharp nails dug further into Marik's arm as a warning to keep his mouth closed. Marik's face turned into a grimace as his arm stung even worse. Bakura had decided to stab the marks that were left there earlier. The spirit didn't notice.

"Yes, of course. This way." Yugi turned, gulping as he led the two villains further into his home. Steep stairs climbed up through a small door behind the counter. Yugi waited by it and pushed the door open allowing Bakura and Marik through. When the boy was sure they weren't in earshot, Yugi placed his hands on either side of the Millennium Puzzle. His fingers gripped the gold in a tight grip as he let out a breath.

"Yami, when do we tell them?" Yugi whispered down to the jewellery. The gold seemed to shimmer slightly, letting out a low hum.

"Soon, Aibou. I'm still here with you" Yami's deep voice echoed through the boy's mind. It was so calming to hear that voice. Yugi wasn't used to spending so much time without Yami's spirit beside him. Nevertheless, Yugi knew he was with him. He let out another breath before stepping back and heading through the door.

Bakura and Marik were stood by the window, Marik angrily pulling his arm out of his pale partner's grip. "Ouch, fluffy! That hurts!"

"Shut _up_," Bakura growled. "You're ruining everything."

Marik sniffed, his lips pursing into a petulant pout, but Bakura sent him a warning glare. Marik glared right back.

Yugi watched them, fear still clenching in his gut although he couldn't quite hold back a smile at their antics. He released a small cough and Bakura instantly jumped away from Marik, his features softening once again into a perfect mimicry of Ryou. Yugi briefly wondered where his classmate actually was; he worried for him, trapped by that evil spirit. Bakura smiled softly. "So, Yugi, this is your room?"

Yugi swallowed as he replied. "Yes, yes, this is my room."

"Well, it's really small," Marik cut in, still seething from Bakura's rough treatment. "Although not as small as Ryou's. His is _tiny._ Like, there isn't even enough room to walk from side to side in. Mine is much nicer."

Bakura heaved a sigh at his companion's childishness, attempting to keep his tone light and only half-succeeding. "I'm sure Yugi doesn't care about our comparative room sizes, Kiram."

Yugi forced a bigger smile onto his face, his nails scraping silently down the side of the puzzle. "Oh, no. It is interesting to hear different points of views," he tried to sound as enthusiastic as he could. Bakura stared at Yugi, unable to hide his raised eyebrow. Well, he hadn't been expecting that.

Marik seemed ecstatic at the reply though. His body leapt forward excitedly, though he stayed away from Yugi for the moment. "Really?!" Marik asked. His hands clasping together by his chest. "Are you a fan of arranging furniture like me, Yugi?"

Bakura blinked.

"Well, I do enjoy tidying and rearranging," Yugi replied with a smile. Bakura blinked again. Had Marik actually found something he and Yugi had in common, besides trading cards? Marik did, as he put it, like to arrange furniture. He often spent most of the day tidying each room ... if he wasn't annoying Bakura. Though, arranging the furniture was annoying too. Bakura had wanted the house in a certain way so he could do things to his advantage. He had the television placed in the living room, but facing slightly in the direction to his bedroom doorway in order to watch it wherever he liked. The sofa was placed in the dark corner of the room but facing the window, so he could look out if he wanted. Of course, Marik had the habit of changing the layout of the rooms however he wanted only to change his mind again. At the end of every day, Bakura often set the television and sofa back in their original position. It was more than irritating waking up with the house changed again.

So Yugi did this, too? Bakura blinked thrice.

Marik's grin almost bounced off his face. "That's brilliant! I adore moving things around, I mean it just keeps everything fresh and exciting! If you leave things in one place for too long then things will get boring. Mr Grumpy-Pants over there always disagrees with me, though, he gets so mad whenever I move things around the apartment."

Bakura resisted the urge to scream. Could Marik be any more obvious? He may as well have just announced to Yugi their true identities upon arrival! Unable to hold back a low growl, Bakura stalked up behind Marik and caught his arm, hard. His nails dug in to scratches he had left there earlier, and Marik instantly winced. "Ouch! What are you doing?!"

"I think," Bakura stated through gritted teeth, "That Yugi has heard enough about our home lives for one day."

Yugi's wide eyes were surprisingly unfazed as he looked at Bakura, though. "Oh, no, don't worry about that, Ryou." He stepped a little further into his room, his hands curling slightly around the Puzzle. "It's a shame that Joey couldn't be here today. I'm sure he would have loved to hear this."

Bakura lifted a brow, frown creasing his forehead before he remembered that he was supposed to be acting like Ryou, and forced a vacuous smile back onto his features. "Oh, that's true. It is a shame he couldn't come."

"Of course it is!" Marik announced loudly, wrenching his arm away from Bakura's with a pointed glare. "He is missing out on the amazing powers of my company."

Yugi stared at Marik for a moment, but blinked in surprise when a ghostly voice whispered in his mind. "Alright. I think it is time to show our secret weapon." Yugi almost laughed at the phrasing. It was hardly a weapon at all. Still, Yugi did as he was instructed and released the Puzzle, letting it swing against his chest. The boy coughed into a fist to get the other's attentions. They had seemed to have started arguing quietly again. Marik's head shot up at the noise and forced a smile.

"Would you like to help me in deciding where my furniture would go, Kiram?" Yugi asked shyly. Marik's eyes almost popped out his head, luckily they were hidden by the dark glasses. However a bright smile adorned his childish face as he bounded over to the smaller boy.

"Oh, yes. How were you thinking of arranging it? Did you want your desk so close to the window? Urgh, that curtain does not go with the wallpaper!" Bakura felt like bursting into fits of laughter at how womanly Marik sounded. He had run off straight to the curtains to inspect their horrid texture. Yugi was blushing lightly at having his room looked through, but calmed himself as Marik skipped back over.

"Um ... Kiram? I was actually struggling with the wardrobe. It will be nice to have your opinion on it," Yugi said when Marik was close enough to him. Bakura stayed in the dark corner with his arms crossed. This situation was clearly more amusing than he had thought. He was going to surprisingly enjoy this ridiculous predicament. He watched as Marik's smile widened and he turned towards the large wooden wardrobe by the bed. Yugi stayed back, a genuine cheeky grin curving his features. It was missed by the two other boys in the room.

"This one?" Marik asked, placing his fingers on the doors.

"Yes. Could you look inside? I find it helps finding the width," Yugi smiled, his head cocking to the side. From within his mind he could hear deep chuckling echoing in his subconscious. Marik nodded.

"I'll see what I can find. I just hope you have good clothes in here, not as good as mine obviously," Marik replied arrogantly, sticking his chin in the air.

"I'm sure you'll find something" Yugi answered as Marik's nails scratched the wood. The Egyptian's smile never left his face as he wrenched open the doors. A loud screech echoed throughout the room as the doors smacked against the wall. Marik's lips parted as a deafening scream escaped him followed by a startled, uncharacteristic yelp from the boy in the corner. Neither one was prepared for what was waiting for them in that dark wardrobe.

**Ahh, cliffhanger! Haha. Hopefully the next update will be out soon. Thanks a lot to everyone reading/reviewing/favouriting/following, we are extremely grateful. See you next chapter! – Jem and FanGirl16**


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